Ripples in the water
by SilverOdair
Summary: 3 years ago, Annie's best friend was sent into the games and never returned. This year, Annie is planning to do the same to save her friend's brother. Forced to work with her hated mentor Finnick Odair, Annie's goal is to get her friend's brother home-alive. But will her handsome, arrogant mentor change that? Annie quickly learns a valuable lesson-No one ever really wins the games.
1. Chapter 1

_Snow examined the stacks of papers in the white, steral room. A fat man, the head gamemaker, hurried up to him. "So they've all been decided, then?" He asked, wiping his nose on his shirt cuff._

"_All but the district 4 female," Snow replied._

"_Ah, yes. Well how about her? Liana Margot?"_

"_No…I want someone who will teach Mr. Odair a lesson."_

"_What sort of lesson, sir?"_

"_A lesson about love. I want you to show Odair that no one really wins these games."_

"_Yes, sir! Well, how about this girl? Annie Cresta?"_

_ Snow examined the file, and a slow, sick smile spread across his face. "Yes. Annie Cresta. She will do perfectly."_

_ "Very well, sir." The man bowed, and left the room._

_ Snow remained a while after, muttering to himself. "Annie Cresta…Annie Cresta…I want her to die slowly. Slowly and painfully."_

On the morning of the reaping, Annie Cresta woke up to the sound of the ocean and the glow of early morning sunshine. A beautiful day-would it end well? She stretched drowsily and turned over to go back to sleep. Reaping day was the only day that she could sleep in, other than holidays and Sundays, and she intended to make the most of it.

That thought was ruined when Josie and Ally came barreling through the door. "Finnick Odair just walked past our house!" Josie yelled.

"He's so handsome," Allie cooed.

"He killed Marianne." Annie said grumpily.

For a moment, their was silence. But then, Josie shouted, "He did not!"

"Yes, he did."

"Finnick wouldn't do such a thing." Allie protested.

"I know! He's so handsome."

Wonderful. Her 8 year old sisters were in love with Finnick Odair.

"You were 5 when it happened. You didn't even know Marianne!" she yelled with sudden venom in her voice.

Silence.

"Well sorry." Josie muttered.

"You ought to be."

They stalked out of the room and slammed the door. By that time, Annie was wide awake and jumped out of bed, filled with worry for herself and her 2 sisters that were eligible for the reaping. She rushed down to the breakfast table. Josie and Allie were already there, no doubt confessing her crime to all who wished to hear.

Rose, Lucy, and Ellen were already there, along with her parents, who glanced up at her arrival. "Where's Katie?" her mother asked.

"How should I know?" she shot back.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you two share a room," her mother replied, annoyed. "Whatever," she retaliated, grabbing a muffin off the table before heading back upstairs.

"Annie; wait." Her father's voice caused her to turn around. She sighed. "What now?"

"Could you talk to Lucy? About the reaping?" Lucy had just turned 12, and was extremely worried about her chances of being picked. Annie couldn't deny her sister. "Sure. Come on, Lucy."

Her sister got up silently and followed her up to the room Lucy shared with Josie and Allie. The moment the door shut behind them, Lucy burst out crying. "I don't want to die! I don't want to!"  
"Shh. Your not gonna die. Your names only in there once. You won't be picked," Annie comforted her, hugging her tightly.

"What about you," Lucy asked, her voice muffled against Annie's clothes. Annie hesitated. "My name's in there 16 times. But it'll be alright. I won't be picked either."

"You promise?" Lucy asked, her sobs coming to a quiet.

"I promise.

Annie felt Lucy smile.

They left the room with different purposes; Annie to go get changed for the reaping, Lucy to finish breakfast.

Annie ran down the corridor to the room she shared with her 14 year old sister, Katie, who was just waking up. Annie smirked. "Get some sleep?"

"Plenty, thank you."

"You ought to get dressed for the reaping."

"I know, and I will. I'm going to eat breakfast first."

"Enjoy yourself."

"I will." With that, Katie left the room.

Annie picked up her one fancy dress, a sleeveless green dress that perfectly matched her eyes. It was getting tight, and next year it would be Katie's. Annie slipped on a woven brown belt around her waist, accenting the flared skirt, and headed to the bathroom, where she pulled all her hair to once side and pinned it there. She slipped on a pearl necklace and pearl earrings, along with a pair of silver slippers. By this point, everyone else was dressed, and they were ready to go.

As they walked, Annie surveyed her family. Rose was 5, and wouldn't be eligible for the games for the next 7 years. Josie and Ally, both 8, had a 4-year wait. Ellen would be eligible in two years, and the rest of her siblings already were.

When they reached the city center, Annie left her family to stand with the rest of the sixteen year olds already their. "Welcome, welcome," trilled Cincinnatus, District 4's lovable Capitol escort. "Aren't you so excited for these games to begin?" he said in his strange accent. He was returned with a mix of boos from most of 4, and cheering from the Careers. What she didn't tell Lucy is there are no volunteers who will, well, volunteer this year. None of them are good enough.

"Are we all here then?" Cincinnatus said, looking around. "Very well. Ladies first!" he fished around in the bowl and pulled out a name, unfolding it slowly. "Annie Cresta." For a moment Annie was frozen, but then her feet found the way to the podium. The rest of her was still processing what I just heard. I was going into the games! Behind a strange veil, Annie saw Lucy fighting to get to her through the peacekeepers, shouting, "You promised! You promised!" Her eyes desperately wanted to cry upon hearing this statement, but she wouldn't let herself. She couldn't look weak. It was the only chance she had.

"Alright, then. No volunteers," he said, looking around expectantly. "No? Very well, now for the boys!" he reached in once again, pulled another white slip, and called out, "Westin Gordan."

A small twelve year old boy came up to the podium, trembling. Annie knew him. She knew him very well. Marianne's brother, and he was going to make it home instead of her."Any volunteers?" Cincinnatus called desperately. "No? Alright then. Now I suppose we must draw mentors. For Annie Cresta!" Another white slip. "Finnick Odair!"  
Did I really have to get him? I'd be happy with any mentor; other than him! He was my best friend's mentor. My best friend, who never made it home. "And for Westin Gordan; Ma-mali-I can't read this!" An old woman stood up. "That would be me", she said. "You can call me Mags."

Well, she looks nice, Annie thought. Too bad I had to get Mr. Sex symbol Odair here. Can we do a trade? She already knew the answer would be no.

She wasn't looking forward to seeing her siblings one last time. She knew what they wanted. But if she had her choice, she wouldn't make it out of the arena. District 4 is going to have a winner, but it isn't going to be her.

Cincinnatus spoke one last time into his microphone. "That concludes this year's reaping, folks. Remember to tune in for the Opening ceremonies and Interviews!"

He sounds like a robot, Annie reflected, remembering the machines that her father said the Capitol used to do much of their work.

Then, she took one last look around District 4, and, clutching Westin's hand tightly, they headed into the justice building.


	2. Chapter 2

"_When she was just a girl/She expected the world_

_but it flew away from her reach/so she ran away in her sleep"_

_-Paradise, Coldplay_

Less than a second after the peacemakers shoved her roughly into a room, Lucy burst through the door and flew into her arms, followed by the rest of Annie's siblings. "You promised!" Lucy cried weakly.

Annie bent down so they were at eye level. "Hey, Luc. I didn't break my promise."

Lucy looked up warily. "Yes, you did."

"I promised I wouldn't get picked. I never said what I wouldn't get picked for."

Lucy looked at her for a second, and then burst out laughing. She was pulled gently out of Annie's arms by Katie, and set on the floor. Annie looked out at her siblings, all with varying degrees of distress on their faces. Rose was confused, only knowing that Annie was going away. The rest all knew she was going into the games, but the twins and their blind faith thought that she would come home alive.

Katie spoke for all of them, her normally sarcastic voice quiet. "One thing. You will try your hardest to get out of the arena alive."

It wasn't a question. Annie nodded. "I will." She tried to smile, looking at Lucy. "I promise."

And just like that, an eternity was over in the blink of an eye, and the peacekeepers had arrived, and Annie's sisters were gone.

The first cannons boomed.

Her parents came in the room next. For a minute they didn't say anything, but then Annie collapsed in their arms, tired of being strong. Because for all it was worth, she was the victim, and all she wanted to do was cry a waterfall.

Her dad held her in front of him, staring for a long minute. "You will survive."

Strangely enough, Annie found her almost whining to him. "But Dad, I have Finnick Odair as a mentor. He killed Marianne!"

"No, sweetheart. The games killed Marianne."

And just like that, her parents were eaten by the Capitol too.

She didn't expect any more visitors, but Marianne and Westin's mother came anyways. "I don't expect you to protect my son," she said, her voice shaking. "But, at the very least…protect yourself."

"I can't promise that. Because I will do whatever it takes for you to not lose another child. I swear."

Mrs. Gordan looked at her for a long minute. "Thank you," she finally said, and for the first time in what felt like years, Annie felt like smiling.

All it took was the thought of her family's faces when they saw her coffin to send that tower of hope crashing down.

Westin and Annie were shoved in a stuffy carriage with Cincinnatus. The mentors were already on the train. Neither of them said anything, but Annie gripped Westin's hand tightly in support, a silent vow to get him out alive. With a deep breath, and their hands tightly linked, they made their way through the flashing Capitol lights and onto the train that would escort them to their doom. From everywhere, reporters tried to get a better look at the tributes, calling out questions until Annie felt like she was going to be sick. Cincinnatus saw the twin looks of horror on both of their faces and completely misinterpreted them. "Aren't you two so excited to be the ones to represent District 4?" he chirped excitedly.

Then his ever present smile faded a bit as he peered at them doubtfully. "You are a bit scrawny, though-"

Thankfully, they were spared from anymore as they reached the train-a safe haven, or a prison?

Annie went with the first option, until she said the person leaning against the side of the train. His very stance was cocky, and in her head, she rolled her eyes. Finnick Odair, worshiped by most of the general populace, stood right in front of her talking to the other mentor, Mags. Annie had to say, she was not impressed.

Finnick caught sight of them, and grinned, pushing himself off the wall with a smirk. Everything about him screamed of arrogance, and Annie could tell that she might actually welcome the games after two weeks in his presence.

"Finnick Odair," he said to her, holding out a hand.

"I wish I could tell you 'pleased to meet you', but honestly, I'm not," she retorted, blowing off his greeting.

"Last time I checked, this wasn't Lets Be Horrible People Day, but I might be wrong."

Annie ignored him. "Is their anyway I could switch mentors before the games, because I don't want to die before them, and I might just pass out from boredom right now," she said, addressing Cincinnatus.

"I believe you meant attractiveness instead of boredom."

"If I was talking to anyone else in the room, maybe."

Finnick was relaxed as if he could do this all day, but Annie was bright red from anger. Mags was smiling, but when Annie glared at her, she looked away quickly. Westin took Annie's hand.

"Come on Annie, be nice to Finnick. He might save your life," he said pleadingly. Annie's gaze softened as she looked down at the boy, tempted to mention her best friend, but not willing to hurt Westin.

"The boy's right princess," Finnick said lazily, and that was the last straw for Annie.

"First of all, my name is Annie. And sure, you are going to save my life, just like you saved Marianne's!" she all but screamed at him. For a second, she thought she saw him flinch, but dismissed it as her imagination.

For the first time, Annie had him riled up. Finnick leaned in so they breathed the same air. "You know nothing about me, or my life," he hissed, and for the first time, Annie could see the part of him that had killed eight people and won the hunger games.

She was tempted to back down, but she threw out won last slur. "Well, that's good, because trust me, I don't want to."

For a moment, Annie thought she might actually die before the games, but then Finnick relaxed, throwing out another one of his signature smirks. "Oh trust me, you definitely don't want to."


End file.
